Bon
Jellico, Kentucky was a tiny coal mining community in Whitley County near
Williamsburg in the foothills of Kentucky. More than
a collection of houses, a coal mine, a school, a few hundred coal miners,
it was people who worked, studied, played, suffered, and lived together.
Although Bon Jellico as a mining camp existed only about 25 years (ending
with the closing of the mine in 1937), the kinship of those people and their
descendents and the stories of “Bon” have survived. To those
people and to future generations who will hear of Bon Jellico and wonder,
this web site is dedicated.

This information is a collage compiled from
notes and interviews with former Bon Jellico residents, from Bon Jellico
era documents, and from newspaper articles. Where possible, quotes from these
interviews are included in an effort to preserve and convey the words of
Bon residents. Also where applicable, the information source(s) are indicated.

We recognize and
are grateful for the contributions to this site of the many Bon residents
including Lovitt, Pemberton, Fritts,
Kirklin, and Brown family members. We especially recognize the interviews
with Earl Lovitt by Williamsburg Grade School project, circa 1984 as well
as his archives shared with this site by his family; for the ‘memories’ of
Velma Pemberton Papineau Decker; and for the family member interviews of
Alene Kirklin Horner.

This site is a
work-in-progress. We know many Bon Jellico stories and memories are “waiting to be shared and
preserved.” We sincerely invite you to send comments, questions, and
additional material. We anticipate and look forward to making updates and
additions to the site semi-annually.